Bears' comeback waved off

Cornerback Jeremy Lincoln's first training-camp memory this year wasn't a blackboard with X's and O's. No, it was a chalked-out chart that soared to the heights and dived to the depths.

Perhaps some millionaire players could have misinterpreted it as the latest Dow Jones averages. Instead, the chart was the true measure of where the Bears have been and where they may go this season.

"One of the coaches drew it and talked about how anyone can ride a high, but asked who could ride the low wave," Lincoln said. "We're going to find out that answer now. Every season has highs and lows."

But seldom as many as were packed into the Bears' 27-24 loss to Green Bay Monday night at Soldier Field.

The Surfin' Safari continued for a team whose 16-16 record in coach Dave Wannstedt's first two seasons is all you really need to know. They aren't half-bad, except for those times when they are half-bad.

Monday, the Bears were two-faced. Turn them one way and they looked awful. Turn them into a kinder light and they were attractive even in defeat.

After this bitter setback, Bears stood at their lockers and looked into private mirrors. Some cursed to themselves. They didn't know whether to feel good or bad about a second-half rally that carried them within 2 yards of taking the lead.

Two lousy yards could have made the difference here. It seemed a short way to go to erase a thousand yards of mistakes the Bears made.

"I've got a sick feeling in my gut," guard Todd Perry said. "That was an attitude play down there and we got stuffed."

Anthony Marshall's block of a punt had given the Bears this chance to show their attitude from the 2 with 10 minutes 25 seconds remaining. Rashaan Salaam had already scored twice, on runs of 1 and 8 yards.

"So we ran the same plays," coach Dave Wannstedt said.

This time, Salaam was stopped trying to go behind his left guard and then, on second down, his right guard. After a fade pass to Jeff Graham fizzled, Wannstedt settled for Kevin Butler's 20-yard field goal because he had 9 minutes left and the momentum swinging his way.

But Packers quarterback Brett Favre, who was 21 of 37 for 312 yards, ate up the clock the way he devoured the Bears in the first half, when he was 9 of 10 on third downs en route to a 24-7 lead.

The Bears didn't get the ball back until 2:40 remained and Erik Kramer fumbled the ball away to end matters after a Reggie White sack.

" weren't stopping anything," Kramer said, feeling cheated by the outcome. "Could we have run on them all night? Yeah.

"Why didn't we? Because the game got out of hand early. We can look back and say we should have done this or that instead, but the game was so out of hand early we had to adjust the best we could.

"We've got to come out a lot more fired up next week; show the kind of spirit we had in the second half."

By the time the Bears decided to be entertaining, many ABC viewers were fast asleep.

"We didn't make any defensive plays in the first half," Wannstedt said.

The Bears were outgained 431-243, and Green Bay won the possession battle 37:17-22:43.

The Bears have lost many ways on "Monday Night Football," now 12-26 overall and 0-8 since their last Monday victory in November 1991. Turn on the ABC cameras and they wilt like flowers in a desert sun.

But the Bears outdid themselves here. They gave MNF a highlight film for the ages.

For only the eighth time in National Football League history, a pass play covered 99 yards, going from Favre to Robert Brooks and hanging Pro Bowl cornerback Donnell Woolford out to dry. Woolford took Brooks' inside fake and watched him stay outside on the right side as he caught the ball passing the 30-yard line.

"I was going for the interception," Woolford said. "I wasn't expecting it and they got behind me. I gambled and I missed."

It came just when the Bears were showing a little moxie in the second quarter, refusing to roll over and die away while losing 14-0. The defensive line, which needed binoculars to see Favre most of the first half, was finally in his face. Two rushing plays and no gains.

"We came out with the jitters," linebacker Vinson Smith said. "Because of `Monday Night Football' and the Packers . I know I missed my first tackle because adrenaline carried me past the guy. But, as usual, the fastest start determined the winner."

The Bears didn't go quietly.

"I have never seen so many bad things happen in such a short time," coach Mike Holgren said of the Packers' slide. "I must admit a couple things happened because we couldn't hear, so credit the Bear fans."

The Bears used defensive tackle Jim Flanigan as an eligible receiver in the third quarter and he caught a 2-yard touchdown pass to narrow the Packers' advantage to 27-14.

Then Woolford avenged his earlier error by intercepting Favre at the Packer 23 and returning the ball to the 8.

"I had given up that touchdown and was kind of upset," Woolford said, "because I don't usually do that."

Salaam scored from the 8 with 12:02 left, a play Wannstedt figured would also work from the 2-yard line 2 minutes later.

Which isn't exactly news. If you paid attention to the Bears' preseason and their last two seasons, the clear-cut symbol of this organization is a roller coaster.

Sooner or later, like Todd Perry, you get that sick feeling watching the Bears.

"Like I told the team, Green Bay is too good a team to wait until the third, fourth quarter to try and beat by putting all the phases together," Wannstedt said. "The most disappointing thing is them going 9 for 9 on their first nine third downs."

"We've got to ride the wave," Lincoln insisted.

But the Bears have yet to prove they can really keep their heads above water week in and week out.